Amid Trump's War of Words With Iran, Neocons Seek Regime Change

As the war of words between the Trump administration and the Iranian regime escalates, the prospect of a full-blown military operation for “regime change” against Tehran by neoconservatives in the White House is growing too. Already, reports suggest the U.S. government is working to destabilize Iran. In place of the “revolutionary” Islamist dictatorship currently in place, neocons advising the president are hoping to install in power an Obama-backed Islamo-Marxist cult that was on the U.S. terror list for some 20 years and has had a number of people close to Trump on its payroll — literally — since before coming off that list under Obama. The war drums are being banged by the very same individuals and groups responsible for the Iraq war and other disasters of epic proportions — the very people Trump campaigned against and crushed in the 2016 election. As of now, administration officials are saying “all options,” presumably including war, “are on the table.”

In a late-night Tweet on July 22 that drew instant headlines worldwide, President Trump issued a stern warning to officials in Tehran. “To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE,” Trump wrote on the social-media service, using all caps for emphasis. “WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!” While Trump has been using harsh rhetoric against the regime practically since he was elected on a platform of tearing up Obama's “Iran deal,” and many of this officials have been loudly banging the war drums against Iran, Sunday's Tweet was by far the sternest threat so far.

The message came in response to comments earlier that same day by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Responding to threats and warmongering by neocons in the administration, he warned the U.S. government and President Trump about trying to intervene in Iran. “Mr Trump, don’t play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by Iranian media to a group of diplomats amid reports that the U.S. government was already working to undermine the regime by backing protests. “You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran's security and interests.” But Rouhani also suggested peace was possible: “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.” Rouhani said that the Iranian government was capable of defending itself, blasting the U.S. authorities for "declaring war" against Iran while pretending to support its people.

Among other threats, Iranian President Rouhani suggested that the regime would consider blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which much of the world's oil supply passes, if the U.S. government attempted to block Iranian oil exports. “Anyone who understands the rudiments of politics doesn’t say ‘we will stop Iran’s oil exports,’” the Iranian president was quoted as saying by domestic media in response to reports about what the U.S. government was considering. “We have been the guarantor of the regional waterway’s security throughout history.” Iranian “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the top cleric and official, echoed the threat to shut down the key shipping lane, which would cause oil prices to skyrocket around the world and would have serious implications for the U.S. economy. Iranian officials dismissed Trump's tweet as “psychological warfare” against Iran and said he “wouldn’t dare make the mistake of taking action against Iran.”

Leading the charge for war within the Trump administration has been neocon warmonger and National Security Adviser John Bolton, a member of the globalism-promoting Deep State outfit known as the Council on Foreign Relations. For perspective, consider that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted publicly that the CFR told her what to do and how she should think about the future. “I spoke to the President over the last several days, and President Trump told me that if Iran does anything at all to the negative, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid before,” claimed a July 23 statement by Bolton, who has been demanding war against Iran for years and previously helped deceive Americans into the disastrous war in Iraq. Despite having never served in the military, the widely ridiculed “chicken-hawk” has been among the most ardent proponents of sending Americans to die in foreign lands for nebulous “American interests” and “democracy.”

Another neocon globalist close to the president, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, suggested in a speech in May that Trump had already decided to pursue regime change in Iran. Speaking at a rally by the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MeK), an Islamo-Marxist cult, Giuliani advocated regime change, too. “When the greatest economic power stops doing business with you, then you collapse … and the sanctions will become greater, greater and greater,” Giuliani promised. “The mullahs must go, the ayatollah must go, and they must be replaced by a democratic government which [MeK cult leader] Madam Rajavi represents... Next year I want to have this convention in Tehran!” Giuliani, who is serving as Trump's attorney, also said that the protests in Iran “are not happening spontaneously.” Instead, “they are happening because of many of our people.”

The MEK, which was supported by Obama and the United Nations despite being on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations, is infamous for using terrorism and violence to pursue its ideology: a bizarre fusion of communism and Islamism. The terror group is also infamous for having murdered numerous Americans, including senior American officials, earning it a spot on the U.S. terror list until Obama removed it in 2012. To repair its image, the terror cult, sometimes known as the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), put a broad array of American officials on its payroll, offering huge sums of suspicious money to former U.S. officials willing to shill for it. Before falling out of favor, the notorious group, with little to no public support in Iran, aided Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's rise to power. Bolton was the “guest of honor” at last year's MeK confab.

Former U.S. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who ran for president and helped build a nationwide movement favoring liberty and non-intervention, has been among the voices blasting Giuliani and Bolton for their anti-Iran warmongering on behalf of MeK. “Both Giuliani and Bolton have been on the payroll of the MeK and have received tens of thousands of dollars to speak to their followers,” wrote Paul, who founded the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. “This is another example of how foreign lobbies and special interest groups maintain an iron grip on our foreign policy. … This is virtually the same road map that the U.S. has followed in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and so on. The results have been unmitigated disaster after disaster. Unleashing terrorists on Iran to overthrow its government is not only illegal and immoral: it’s also incredibly stupid.”

Unfortunately for non-interventionists, according to Reuters, the U.S. government is already engaged in subversion and what the military often refers to as “psychological operations,” or psyops, against Iran. “In Washington, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration had launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups,” the establishment news service reported. “Current and former U.S. officials said the campaign painted Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also been suggesting that anti-Iran operations were underway. Speaking last week at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Pompeo offered some of his harshest remarks to date about the Iranian regime. “The level of corruption and wealth among regime leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government,” Pompeo said, adding that the U.S. government supported “Iranian citizens” opposed to the government. "All those voicing dissatisfaction share one thing: they have been ill-treated by a revolutionary regime. Iranians want to be governed with dignity, accountability and consent.” Pompeo also suggested the U.S. government was already working to support regime change, telling protesters in Iran that “the United States supports you, the United States is with you.” He also said that, “when the right time comes,” the “world” would be “obligated” to support a globalist-backed Iranian uprising.

If the protests across Iran are genuine, the warmongering from the establishment undermines their legitimacy by making them seem like phony "grassroots" schemes led by puppets of Western globalists, warmongers, and neocons. The warmongering also legitimizes any official crackdown. If on the other hand the protests are not genuine and are wholly a product of U.S. government and globalist machinations, Trump and Congress should demand an end to it now before further instability or even all-out war break out. The president was elected in part because he promised to stop globalists and neocons and quit lawlessly meddling in the affairs of other nations. His criticism of U.S. government interventionism in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, and beyond helped endear him to millions of war-weary American voters. To truly put America first, Trump and Congress must obey the Constitution and heed the non-interventionist advice of America's Founding Fathers.

Alex Newman, a foreign correspondent for The New American, is based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @ALEXNEWMAN_JOU or on Facebook. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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